Chapter 140 - 139: I’m Counting to Three

Chapter 140: Chapter 139: I’m Counting to Three

Watching Jiang Xia leave the complex, Lin Yanwan, who had seemed so dizzy just moments before, instantly sobered up. Though her face was still flushed, her eyes were much clearer now.

In the elevator, Lin Gaoyuan quietly asked his daughter, "Yanwan, did that kid take advantage of you while you were drunk?"

"Dad, do I look like the type to be taken advantage of?" Lin Yanwan said helplessly.

’Speaking of taking advantage,’ she thought, ’sometimes I’m the one who wants to pretend to be drunk and do things to Jiang Xia that I normally wouldn’t dare.’

"I was just asking." Lin Gaoyuan chuckled sheepishly. "Still, that kid is a real piece of work. It’s one thing that he didn’t touch a drop of alcohol himself, but he didn’t even take any drinks for you, and you ended up drinking so much."

"Dad, that’s not fair," Lin Yanwan said, looking at her father expressionlessly. "He wanted to drink for me, but have you seen his face? I was afraid it would freeze solid if he had any."

Lin Gaoyuan was speechless. He had no comeback for that.

***

After leaving the complex, Jiang Xia hailed a taxi home. He pulled out his phone to check the group chat; Wang Ming and Shen Ying had both made it home safely and checked in.

He replied, "Get some rest. We have work tomorrow," which earned him two contemptuous emojis.

When he got home, Xia Shanshan and Jiang Wende were still awake. The light in the study was on, and the TV was on in the living room with the volume turned down low.

Jiang Xia slipped on his house slippers at the door and asked out of habit, "Dad, you’re still up?"

"Waiting for your mom," Jiang Wende said, glancing at him. "You’re just getting back now? Where were you today?"

"I was with Wang Ming during the day, and tonight I had a class reunion." Jiang Xia stood turned to the side, presenting the uninjured half of his face to his father.

"Oh."

Jiang Wende nodded. His son was grown now, so he didn’t meddle much. As long as he didn’t get into trouble, that was enough. In that regard, he was quite at ease; Jiang Xia had always been a well-behaved kid.

"Dad, I’m going to take a shower."

"Go on, go on."

He went to his room to grab a change of clothes, then stepped into the bathroom to wash off the smell of sweat and alcohol. As he stood under the warm spray, the stress from the long day began to melt away.

As he thought about the day’s events, Jiang Xia was filled with emotion. ’Life is full of ups and downs, just like today.’

’First, I get misunderstood by my future father-in-law and take two punches. Then I go to the internet cafe to watch the premiere of *Cat and Mouse*, only for the TV station’s website to crash. After that, I take my drunk girlfriend home, and my father-in-law’s attitude seems to soften a bit—he no longer treats me like some punk. And most importantly, my mother-in-law acknowledged me.’

’Heh, I’m practically the Lin Family’s official future son-in-law now. I never expected that. All in all, the beating was worth it.’

’Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, as long as I keep taking the fall for it, my father-in-law will just feel more and more guilty. That’s how people are. Once they feel they owe you, they’ll turn a blind eye later on. He most likely won’t stand in the way of our happiness anymore.’

Having figured out the key to the situation, Jiang Xia was in an excellent mood. He had the urge to text his girlfriend: ’Just wait until you turn twenty-two and you can marry me!’

After his shower, Jiang Xia changed into his pajamas and came out of the bathroom feeling refreshed. He stood in front of the mirror, drying his hair and examining the injury on his face.

The redness had mostly faded, leaving only a bit of puffiness. The bruise around his cheekbone was still there, though, and it hurt whenever he touched it, smiled, or did anything to move the skin.

"What happened to your face? That looks serious. Did you get in a fight today?"

Xia Shanshan had appeared beside him at some point. She looked at his reflection in the mirror, then at her son’s face.

Jiang Xia froze. He turned stiffly to look at his mom, forcing a rigid smile. "Of course not. I just... accidentally took a fall."

"Keep spinning that story. You really think you can fool your own mother?" Xia Shanshan sneered.

She’d been a teacher for years and had dealt with more schoolyard brawls than she could count. She could tell with a single glance that her son had been punched.

"No, really, I just fell," Jiang Xia insisted, trying to tough it out.

"I’m going to count to three. Leniency for those who confess, severity for those who resist!"

Xia Shanshan’s expression was grim as she issued the warning. His dating life was one thing, but fighting had to be treated with the utmost seriousness. It could easily escalate into a criminal offense.

"What’s going on? What happened?" Jiang Wende asked, hurrying over.

"Look at your son’s face. He says he fell. Do you believe that?" Xia Shanshan said, her face cold.

Jiang Xia looked at his dad and blinked frantically.

"Let me see. Whoa, that’s a bad fall. Your face is all swollen. Does it hurt?" Jiang Wende said, pretending not to see Jiang Xia desperately signaling him with his eyes.

"You actually believe his nonsense?" Xia Shanshan asked, stunned.

"Ahem. Until we get to the bottom of this, let’s just assume he fell. We can figure out the rest later."

"Oh, get out of here. I don’t have time for your games," Xia Shanshan huffed. To Jiang Xia, she said, "Get over here and tell me every single detail, right now."

Jiang Xia hung his head in defeat. His dad looked at him and spoke in a gentle tone, "Just be honest with me. Did you get in a fight?"

"No," he said, his tone firm and unequivocal.

’From start to finish, I was the one getting hit,’ he thought. ’I didn’t even fight back. Legally speaking, it wasn’t even a mutual affray.’

"Then that’s fine. Go on, explain everything to your mom—how you got hurt, what happened. I don’t usually get involved in your business, but you know your mother’s temper. She’s not afraid of you causing trouble, she’s worried. She’s afraid you’ll go astray."

Jiang Wende patted his shoulder, then grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste and went to brush his teeth. ’Whatever happens, my wife will tell me all about it in bed later anyway.’

Jiang Xia followed her into the study. Looking at his mother’s frosty expression, he sighed inwardly.

"Mom, don’t be mad, okay? And if I tell you, can you promise not to laugh at me?"

Her eyes widened. "Just spit it out! How did you get hurt?"

"My father-in-law beat me up." Even as he said the words, Jiang Xia felt incredibly embarrassed.

"Huh?"

Hearing this, Xia Shanshan froze. A father-in-law beating his son-in-law? ’What kind of soap opera is this?’

"What on earth did you do to Yanwan that was so terrible her own father couldn’t stand it and had to beat you?" As soon as the words were out, she had a thought and swallowed hard. "You two didn’t secretly...?"

"Of course not! Your son is an outstanding student of high moral character. I’d never do something so shameless and depraved," Jiang Xia vehemently denied.

"Then why would he hit you for no reason? If you keep stammering, I’ll have your father come in here and give you a couple of punches myself," Xia Shanshan snapped. "Spit it out, now!"

"Well, it was like this..."

With an embarrassed expression, Jiang Xia recounted the whole story. Xia Shanshan listened, stunned. When he finished, she came to her senses and scoffed at her son.

"Serves you right!"